Air cooled muffler



J. S. FLUOR` JR., El' AL AIR COOLED MUFFLER Filed lay 4, 1936 March 8, 1938.

Patented Mar. 8, 1938 UNITED STATI-:sA

PATENT OFI-ICE 2,110,395 AmcooLx-:o Mpman.

Application May 4, 1936, Serial No. 77,821

15 claim 'Ihis invention relates generally to muiilers for large stationary engines, for example of the type used in natural gas compressor plants, and has to do particularly with improvements in mountv ings-.for air cooled mui'ilers of that type.

In the general structure which embodies the mounting, the muiiler is supported within a stationary shell or stack that isy annularly spaced from the muiller to provide a passage through which the muilier cooling air is drawn. Usually an exhaust pipe of considerable length is connected to the muiller, and due to expansion and contraction of the exhaust pipe resulting from its temperature changes, the muilier is caused to shil't considerably within the surrounding shell.

Thegeneral purpose of this invention is to provide in conjunction with a muiiler and shell, a nounting that will permit such shifting movement of the muiller and yet maintain it at all times in proper position relative to the outer shell.

, More specifically, one o1 our major objects is to provide in combination with the mumer and shell, a mounting that will permit lateral movement of the muiiler within the shell without allowing the muiiier to tilt or swing from its normal position oi parallelism with the shell. By this type o! mounting, we are able to maintain the muilier outlet and the path of flow of the combustion gases being discharged from the outlet, at all o times in parallel with the shell outlet, thereby eliminating eddy currents and any back pressure within the air passage, that would otherwise result from tilting oi' the muilier. Thus the invention is an improvement over tilting or pivotal type mountings as disclosed in Patent No. 1,966,620 issued to John S. Fluor, Jr., July 17, 1934, on Muiller, wherein the muilier is pivotally suspended tor oscillating movement about a pair o! trunnions located intermediate the ends of the 40'ml1mel.

In its preferred form. the invention comprises` a two point suspension supporting the muiller at its upper end and embodying means permitting both longitudinal and lateral bodily movement of the muiiler within the shell. The individual suspensions include springs that vertically support the muiiler, and are mounted for straight lateral shifting movement in a plane normal to the longitudinal muiiler axis. Preferably, we also include yielding means resisting lateral movement of the muiiler in a direction at right angles to the path of movement permitted by the vertical suspensions, so that the muiiier is yieldably supported both vertically -and laterally.

The various objects and features of the inYention mentioned in the foregoing, together with various additional aspects thereof, will be better understood from the following detailed descrip tion of the invention in one of its typical and pre- Ierred forms. Throughout the description reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a general elevation, partly in section, showing a typical form oi' muilier installation;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal cross section on lln'e 2-2 of Fig. l, (the sectional view being turned from the aspect of Fig. l) showing the muiiler suspensions in plan; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 3 3 o! Fig. 2 showing one of the individual suspensions in detail.

First it is to be understood thatv the present type of muiiler mounting may be applied to various forms of muiliers arranged for connection with the exhaust pipe in any of the usual manners. For the purpose oi illustrating a typical air cooled muiiier installation in which the muiiler is subject to sluiting movement within a stack or outside shell, we have shown in Fig. l a diagrammatlcally illustrated internal combustion engine I0 within the engine room i i and having an exhaust pipe i2 extending downwardly and then horizontally within a trench Il below the room floor I4. Exhaust pipe l2 connects at its outerjend with a vertically extending muiiier I5 which may be oi any suitable design and construction. 'I'he muiiler is mounted on the hereinafter described suspensions, generally indlcated at il, within a vertically extending stack I1, the shell i9 of which is annularly spaced from the muiiier to provide an. air passage i9. 'Ihe muiiler outlet 20 projects up wardly within tapered portion 2| of the stack, the constriction formed by the latter causing air to be drawn upwardly through space i9 by the velocity efiect o! the combustion gases being expelled from the muiller, and the gas and air mixture to be discharged to the atmosphere through the top 12 of the stack.

'I'he exhaust pipe is jacketed by an air conduit 23 having an inlet 2l opening upwardly through the floor Il within the room il, and connected at its outer end to the stack i8 by a joint at 25. Stack I8 and conduit 23 together form a cooling air jacket about the exhaust pipe and muilier, and into which air is drawn from the room il into inlet 24, and thence through passages 2l and I9 to be finally discharged through the stack. As illustrated in Fig. 1, frequently the exhaust pipe I2 is rather long, so that when the temperature of the pipe changes, as at the time the engine is started or stopped, it has considerable longitudinal expansion and contraction. As a result, the muiiler I5, being rigidly connected at 21 to the exhaust pipe, is required to shift laterally within the stack i8 in response to expansion or contraction of the pipe. One of the major features of the invention is the provision of a. mounting for the muiiler that will permit such lateral shifting of the mutller and yet maintain it at all times in a true vertical position, i.-e., with theiongitudinal axis of the muiller remaining parallel with the corresponding axis of the stack.

Our improved mounting is of a two point suspension type in which the individual suspensions i6 are located at diametrically opposite sides of the muffler and, where the exhaust pipe leads into the side of the muffler as in the illustrated form, the suspensions lie in a plane normal to the exhaust pipe and therefore normal to its direction of expansion and contraction. Referring now to Fig. 3, each of the individual suspensions i6 comprises a bracket support 23 welded to the shell I8 and having a top flat surface 29 extending horizontally in a plane normal to the mufiler axis. The muffler is vertically supported by a coil spring 30 resting on surface 29 and shiftable horizontally thereon, the length of surface 29 being suiilcient to permit shifting movement of the spring within the limits of the transverse muflier movement caused by expansion or contraction of the exhaust pipe. Spring 30 i s placed about the lower end of a bolt 3| extending through a member 32 projecting laterally beyond the muffler shell, the bolt being held in adjusted position by nuts 33 and 34. Member 32 is, welded to the muffler at 35, and is secured by bolt 38 to the muffler top wall 31.

A second coil spring 33, placed about the upper end of bolt 3|, is confined between nut 33 and a support 39 of angular cross section, secured to shell i8 by. bolts 40. As will appear from Fig. 2, the bolt and spring assembly is permitted to shift inthe direction indicated by the arrows, within the limits of engagement with the angular depending end walls 33a of supports 39. The parts of the spring suspension rigidly attached to the muiller thus are yieldably confined against vertical movement in both directions between the.

stationary supports 28 and 39, and the mufler is permitted to move vertically within the shell with the springs acting to absorb any vibration and eliminate vibratory noises. Access may be had to nuts 33 and 34 for the purpose of adjusting them to regulate the compression oF springs 30 and 38, through a shell opening 4| that is normally closed by cover plate lia.

Lateral movement of the munler in a direction at right angles with its` path of shifting movement as permitted by the vertical spring supports, is yieldably resisted by springs 42 placed about bolts 43 welded to and projecting from diametrically opposite points on the muiller outlet pipe 20. Springs 42 are held against the vertical surfaces 38b of supports 39 kby adjustable nuts 44, to guide the muffler for movement parallel to surfaces 39h, the springs being shiftable along these surfaces as springs 3|) are subjected either to vertical compression or horizontal shifting on their supports. And at all positions, springs 42 effectively resist and absorb transverse muffler vibration permitted by lateral movement of the exhaust pipe.

It is believed that the functions and operation of the support will be fully apparent from the foregoing. As the exhaust pipe i2 expands or contracts, corresponding lateral movement of the muffler is permitted by the capacity oi' the vertical suspensions (bolts 3| and springs 30 and 3l) to shift horizontally between supports 23 and 39 in the directions indicated by the arrows (Fig. 2).

, tion comprising an elongated muiller, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiller and extending laterally relative thereto so that the munler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts longitudinally, a conduit surrounding the muffler and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, and means supporting said muiiler within said conduit, said supporting means permitting lateral bodily movement of the muiiier relative to the conduit in response to longitudinal expansion and contraction of the exhaust pipe, and including means for causing both ends of the muffler to shift the same distance and in the same direction during said lateral movement oi' the muffler.

2. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising an elongated muiller, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiller and extending laterallyrelative thereto so that the muiiler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts longitudinally, a conduit surrounding the muffler and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, and yielding means supporting said mu.,'.er within said conduit, said supporting means permitting lateral bodily movement of the muiller relative to the conduit in response to longitudinal expansion and contraction of the exhaust pipe, and including means for causing both ends of the muiiler to shift the same dis, tance and in the same direction during said lateral movement of the mumer.

3. In a stationary, engine plant, the combination comprising an elongated muiiler, an exhaust pipe connected to the muffler and extending laterally relative thereto so that the muiller shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts longltudinally, a conduit surrounding the muilier and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, means supporting said muffier within said conduit, said supporting means permitting lateral bodily movement of the mui'- iier relative to the conduit in response to longitudinal expansion and contraction of the exhaust pipe, and including means for causing both ends of the muffler to shift the same distance and in the same direction during said lateral movement of the muffler, and yielding means resisting said lateral movement.

4. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising an elongated muiiier, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiller and extending laterally relative thereto so that the muiiier shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts` longitudinally, a conduit surrounding the muilier and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, and means supporting said muffler within said conduit, said supporting means including yielding means permitting longitudinal movement of the muffler within the conduit, and yielding means resisting lateral movement of the muiiler relative to the conduit in response to longitudinal expansion and contraction of the exhaust pipe.

5. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muiller, an exhaust pipe connected to the muffler and extending horizontally so that the muffler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said muiller and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, yielding means supporting said muf- Iier within the conduit, and yielding means resisting lateral movement of the muffler relative to said conduit.

6. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muilier, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiller and extending horizontally so that the muiiler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said mufller and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, and horizontally and bodily shiftable yielding means supporting said muiller within the conduit.

7. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muiller, an exhaust pipe connected to the mufller and extending horizontally so that the muiller shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said muiller and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, horizontally and bodily shiftable yielding means supporting said muiller within the conduit, and yielding means resisting lateral movement of the mumer relative to said conduit.

8. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending mufller, an exhaust `pipe connected to the muiller and extending horizontally so that the muler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said mufller and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, a muilier supporting member on said conduit, a supported member associated with said muiller and bearing. on the first mentioned member and shiftable horizontally thereon.

9. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muiller, an exhaust pipe connected to the muffler and extending horizontally so that the muilier shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said mufiier and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, a muflier supporting member on said conduit, a spring bearing on said member and shiftable horizontally thereon, and means for supporting the muiller on said spring.

10. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muffler, an exhaust pipe connected to the muffler and extending horizontally so that the mufiler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said mufller and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, a supporting member having a bearing surface extending in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the muffler, and a muiller supporting member bearing on said surface and shiftable horizontally thereon to permit lateral movement of the mufller within said conduit.

11. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending mufller shell, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiller and extending horizontally so that the muffler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said muffler and annularly spaced therefrom to form an air passage, and a muiller suspension comprising a support on said conduit, and mutlier supporting means secured to the top portion of said shell and bearing on said support.

12. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muiller shell, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiller and extending horizontally so that the muiiier shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said muffler and annularly spaced therefrom to form an air passage, and a muiller suspension comprising a support on said conduit, and muffler supporting means secured to the top portion of said shell and bearing on said support, said means being shiftable horizontally on said support.

13. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muffler shell, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiiier and extending horizontally so that the muffler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said muiiler and annularly spaced therefrom to form an air passage, and a muflier suspension comprising a support on said conduit, and muiiler supporting means secured to the top portion of said shell and bearing on said support, said means comprising a spring shiftable horizontally on said support.

14. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muilier shell, an exhaust pipe connected to the muflier and extending horizontally so that the muffler shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said muffler and annularly spaced therefrom to form an air passage, a muiller suspension comprising a support on said conduit, and mufller supporting means comprising a spring shiftable horizontally on said support, and yielding means resisting lateral movement of the muffler within said conduit.

15. In a stationary engine plant, the combination comprising a vertically extending muiiier, an exhaust pipe connected to the muiiler and extending horizontally so that the mufiier shifts laterally as the exhaust pipe expands and contracts, a conduit surrounding said muffler and annularly spaced therefrom to provide an air passage, means supporting said muflier for lateral movement within the shell in one direction, and yielding means resisting lateral movement of the mufiier in a direction at right angles with the first mentioned direction.

JOHN S. FLUOR, JR. PARK W. ASH. 

